I've never been prouder to be a Texan

Last summer, right around the 4th of July, the pastor of the church I attend had a weekend dedicated to fallen heroes in our armed forces, and had a true blue American hero as his guest speaker.  His name was Chris Kyle.  Ever heard of him?  This man fought for the right to fight for his country, and once he started, he served four tours in hostile territory.  He is considered to be the most lethal sniper in American history, with at least 160 confirmed kills, and potentially hundreds more.  I was able to find his interview with Ed Young on youtube (Chris Kyle & Ed Young), and if you have an extra 40 minutes lying around (or even if you don't), I really think it's worth it to watch.  Both of my boys went to "big church" for this sermon, and for weeks, N talked about how cool it was to be in the same room as a real hero.  He is extremely candid with his life experiences in this interview, and I even downloaded his book on my Kindle, but have yet to read it. I will now. The deadliest sniper in American history...think about how many lives he saved. Think about how much evil he has removed from this world.

He not only removed evil, but he tried to help those who were suffering from PTSD, and that's exactly what he and a friend were trying to do when they both lost their lives.  They were at a gun range with a fellow former soldier, and were shot to death before the killer fled in Chris Kyle's pickup truck.  The shooter's sister called 911 and turned him in.  What another brave individual.

His funeral was yesterday, held at Cowboys stadium due to the number of people who wanted to come show their respect for this fallen hero.  The coverage of his wife's touching eulogy: her words of comfort to her children, her words to her husband that she never got to say while he was here on this earth, had me in tears.  The eulogies given by two of his best friends growing up were equally touching, while giving those listening a glimpse of their friend's mischievous side.  The number of his brothers and sisters who showed up to honor their fallen brother...well, military funerals (anything military, really) move me to tears in no time.

But what really got me was the amazing outpouring of love and support of all the people in our great state.  Kyle and his family live in Midlothian, just south of the DFW metroplex, and he was buried in Austin at the Texas State Cemetery.  Dozens of police officers, members of the patriot guard, and friends and family of this fallen hero became part of what might be the longest funeral procession in American history, as friends and family boarded charter buses to take them the 200 miles to his final resting place in Austin.  That, in and of itself, is touching...

When I turned on the television this morning, I (like so many others, I'm sure) became glued to the screen as tears poured down my face.  From Midlothian all the way to Austin, there were people...people lined up on the sides of the highway in the rain, hands over hearts, holding signs, and crying as this massive funeral procession passed.  Overpasses were seas of people, holding flags, saluting, and showing their respect for a real hero.  I have never seen anything like this in my life.  Even now, I'm tearing up...because hundreds and hundreds of people are lined up to honor this man who was killed for what?  God, this man is a hero! Not only did he serve our country proudly, without regard of his own life, but he died trying to help someone else through the aftermath of serving our great country in hostile territory...PTSD is real.  There is entirely too much of this happening in our country.

I freaking hate it..

Several of the reporters who were standing alongside the road as the funeral procession passed were unable to speak without their voices wavering, breaking, or even sobs slipping out as they tried to explain how emotional it was out there.  The vast majority of these supporters are just like me.  They don't know Chris Kyle personally or his family.  In fact, a lot of people have never heard of him...and some may not care.  That's their prerogative.

But so many people do care.  And it's obvious...you can tell when they take the time to go stand on the side of the road in the cold and rain, when they bring their children to honor a man they don't know because he's what a real hero is, and when they show up in droves like they did today, how can you not feel a sense of pride in our country?  His wife, riding in the passenger seat of the hearse carrying her husband's body, so she could spend as much time with him as possible before he was laid to rest, rolled down the window in the rain and saluted her family's supporters...over and over and over again during the 200 mile trip.  How can you not be proud and amazed at the strength this woman has?

I don't understand why people have to start badmouthing the dead.  Regardless of your personal opinions of the man or of his profession,  he died.  Unnecessarily.  He was trying to help, to help a man get some resemblance of his former life back.  Yes, he was a killer for a living, but by being a killer, he saved hundreds of innocent lives.  Hundreds of soldiers' lives.  But he wasn't just a killer.  He was an advocate for those who needed a voice, a voice they couldn't come up with on their own.  He helped families of fallen soldiers.  He loved God.  He loved his family.  He wasn't shy about admitting either of those.  And he was a hero.  A real hero.  Gun violence has to stop.

I've always been proud to be a Texan, but today, I was a little bit prouder.  Yes, I've been an emotional mess all day long, but you know what?  I live in the greatest state in our nation: the state that stops in its tracks to honor someone who served our country with honor and pride.  I'm proud of where I live, and I would never live anywhere else.  Everything is bigger and better in Texas.

That goes for heart, honor, and pride, too.

Aubs